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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26696707">Chapter 1 - A NEW SHELTER</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myril_Chan/pseuds/Myril_Chan'>Myril_Chan</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>BEFORE DAO [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adoption, F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 05:08:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,764</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26696707</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myril_Chan/pseuds/Myril_Chan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The warden is born but her mother is gone. King Maric is trying to convince Eamon to collect his bastard son.</p><p>The idea behind my Before:DAO series is to tell my Mahariel and Alistair's parallel childhoods. I took inspiration from the real lore to make it as realistic and lore-friendly as possible. All my inspirations and sources are mentionned in the end.<br/>This serie is part of my whole fanfic which aims to tell the story of Alistair &amp; warden from their childhood to DAI and maybe further...</p><p>Comment &amp; (constructive) critics are highly welcome to help me improve my writting.<br/>If you have a fanfic on the same themes : please let me know !</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alistair/Female Warden (Dragon Age)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>BEFORE DAO [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1942735</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Ymlaïs'part</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b> 9:10 DRAGON</b>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>" There’s no use Ashalle , she’s gone ".</p><p>Every day since now a moon, the woman watched the edge of the forest from a hill located close to the camp. Every day, she hoped to see the young woman who had left a moon earlier.</p><p>" Maybe she needed some time to… Be alone for a while, heal the wound, learn to live with it ?</p><p>- She won’t come back Ashalle, and you know it. We have to decide what to do with the baby."</p><p>As the new keeper of the clan Marethari was now the protector of every member of it. Including the infant she was currently hanging in her arms. The baby was asleep wrapped in a blanket. In addition to his fine face, only one strand of vivid, ruffled red hair stood out. A legacy of her mother who proudly wore hair as flamboyant and rebellious as she had been.</p><p>" How could she leave her ?"</p><p>Ashalle had approached the child and was now gently caressing his forehead. The little girl awoke peacefully to this contact and leaned on the two women her big blue-gray eyes. A gift from his father who had been the previous clan’s keeper. Before he was cowardly murdered by bandits.</p><p>O how her mother loved him for daring to win the wrath of the elders of her clan! They were upset about losing one of their best hunters to another tribe. The two lovers were reduced to seeing themselves in secret in the forest, the keeper having allowed his clan to settle not far from these of his beloved. But the situation could not last and when the belly of the woman rounded, it became urgent to find a sustainable solution. Ashalle was in confidence. She knew that she was ready to leave her people to come and live with him. And after his death, it was to the clan of her lover that she turned to find refuge and give birth to her daughter.</p><p>She gave her life and a name. And when the child no longer needed to feed on her breast and she recovered all her strength, she left the clan on a full moon evening, entrusting her child to the good care of Ashalle.</p><p>Had she gone to avenge the death of her beloved, and had she also met a fatal end ? Had she chosen to leave this clan and this child who would constantly remind her of the man she had lost? No one knew. And no one would ever know. Ashalle only remembered that she gave her a small package saying : "For when she will have learn enough of life, when she will have proven herself on Vir Tanadahl", then she had laid a tender kiss she on the child’s forehead before raising a bronze look on her and then she left without a word, without a tear, without a look back.</p><p>" I don’t know. But she needs a shelter."</p><p>Ashalle was drawn from her dark memories.</p><p>" What about you Marethari ?</p><p>- Me ?</p><p>- Yes, you and Sarel never had any child and you’re getting too old for this. Plus, her father was a mage, she might have inherrit of the Gift and become a future keeper.</p><p>- I… Actually, I intended to ask <em>you</em> to become her guardian. Her mother gave her to you before she left, and you’ve been taking care of her ever since. I have always considered that if the creators had not allowed me to give birth it was so that I could give the same love to all the members of my clan without distinction. But you… I can see the affection you have for this child. You have never been bounded to a man and never gave birth. But I can see how this child has awakened in you the soul of a mother.</p><p>- That is true. But I'll never be her mother.</p><p>- No less than any of us. But she will have a clan to welcome and protect her and she will have you to raise and cherish her.</p><p>- I… I think I could that. I owe that to them - she turned her gaze on the little girl who was looking at her attentively - And you little light, what do you think ? Do you agree, Ymlaïs ?"</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Alistair's part</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"You ask a lot Maric. You make inconsiderate mistakes and now you’re asking <em>me </em>to deal with the consequences".</p><p>The arl leaned a frank and penetrating gaze on the king, though devoid of any animosity.</p><p>" Surely you're aware of the irony of the situation. Of all the people you know, I am the closest to your deceased wife - Me and Teagan - and you're asking <em>me </em>to secretly raise a bastard son who could shade my own nephew for the throne of Ferelden.</p><p>- I know Eamon but… I've thought about it carefully and... You’re the only one I can trust for this."</p><p>Eamon sighed heavily.</p><p>" And you do realize that I couldn’t raise him at the castle as a member of our family? He would live among the commoners and be treated as such.</p><p>- I'm aware of this. This is what his mother and I agreed to.</p><p>- His mother… May I ask who she is ?"</p><p>The king had a sad smirk.</p><p>" You can ask but… I won't answer. She doesn’t wish her son to know that part of his origins. Or anyone, really. </p><p>- Maker's breath, Maric !! Why ? Is she a criminal ? Does she just want to get rid of the child for good ?</p><p>- No ! No. She is a good person, and she would have kept him if she could have… I think. But she had her reasons and I made a promess that I would respect her choice. Just… Trust me, please.</p><p>- Trust you ? You disappeared without a word ! Cailan was desperate. So soon after he had lost his mother ! Have you considered, only once, how he could feel ? And then you come back and you bring a bastard son out of nowhere, out of no<em>one</em> and you’re asking me to trust you ! Just like that ?"</p><p>Some say that words can do more harm than swords. At this moment, Maric understood it very well. There was not a word of what Eamon had said that he had not already said to himself. He carried the weight of his mistakes without the need of being reminded. But hearing someone say it out loud. It was like the words filled the whole space. He was not a king, not a hero, simply a man. A <em>very </em>simple man. He painfully closed his eyes and the picture the baby formed. No, he <em>had </em>to convince Eamon, for the child's sake.</p><p>" Listen, Eamon…. Don’t force me to beg you. If you don’t do it for me, do it for the boy. He doesn’t deserve to pay for my mistakes. I would like to give him a chance to live his own live, away from my own burden. What I am supposed to do ? Give him to the Chantry ? Or to an orphanage ?</p><p>- That is where most of the unwanted bastard child end.</p><p>- But he is not an unwanted bastard ! He is my son ! Maric shouted painfully. I care about him Eamon. I do. I just... Can't. For Rowan, for Cailan, for his mother, for him. "</p><p>He turned back and opened the door of the abandonned fisher's hut. He nodded to someone and a man got out, holding a baby in his arms. The man looked rivaini with his dark skin and black hair and beard. He was wearing a long grey tunic with a designed griffin on the chest. A grey warden. What did that mean ? He was looking at the infant with a smile. Eamon approached.</p><p>From what Eamon could recall, the boy <em>did </em>look like Cailan at the same age, although his hair and skin were a litlle darker. He was sturdy and vigorously sucking on Duncan’s finger, his eyes squinting at it. It made Eamon chuckle.</p><p>He married Lady Isolde a few months after the war against Orlais, but she never could give him an heir. What would it be to take care of the child of someone else ?</p><p>Marric was looking at the two men leaning over his son while he remained a few steps behind. Duncan's eyes told easily how he came to like the boy during the past few days. Since Fiona was gone, and even before, he had been in charge of him more than his own parents. And he could see on Eamon growing smile that he was right to show him the baby who was now also helding the arl's finger. The charm was working. That was good news. His son needed a safe shelter.</p><p>His son. The words only came to him to hurt. Since Fiona introduced him, he barely dared to touched him. He hardened his heart. There was no need to get attached and then lose him. The truth was : he would never be his father. Those two men were closer to a father for him than what he could ever be. </p><p>The boy that shouldn't be. The boy that <em>couldn</em>'t be. Was there a chance for him to find his very own place in this world ?</p><p>"Maric, did you love Rowan ? The king flinched. Eamon was next to him, holding the baby.</p><p>- Yes. Yes I did love Rowan. It... Would have never happened if she had been alive." Was it true ? He didn't really know. But he wanted to believe it.</p><p>- One of the servant at the castle died two weeks ago when giving birth to a unknow's father child. Ironically, her daughter claimed that the baby was yours, because her mother was at your service when you went to the castle last winter and she seemed to have fallen for the king's charm. So I kept it a secret, even to Isolde. The baby died. We sent the girl to her familly in Denerim. It seems like fate has giving your son a chance for another history.</p><p>- Good. I... I mean, I'm sorry for the woman.</p><p>- You <em>actually </em>didn't do anything with her I assume ?</p><p>- What ? No ! Of course not ! Who do you think I am ?</p><p>- I don't know Maric. But I sure will not take care of <em>all </em>the bastard sons that you might sow on your way.</p><p>- I... Thank you Eamon. "</p><p>Eamon turned his gaze to the baby who now was doing bubbles with his mouth.</p><p>" What do you say young lad, do you think you will be well here ? Welcome to Redcliff,... ?</p><p>- Alistair. His name is Alistair."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>
  <b>Inspirations  : </b>
</p><p>The thing is, it occured to me that when you choose a dalish origin, your warden and Alistair share the same beginning in life. Abandonned by their biological parents, they will find another shelter and people to take care of them, while every other origin give your warden a proper familly. </p><p>Apparently, there is a hiatus between what you can find on the World of Thedas vol.2 and what is said about the dalish warden's parents in the game (when you talk to Ashalle at the camp). In the book, the clan lost his previous keeper (the warden's father) and Marethari's husband in 8:82 BLESSED. Which would mean the warden would be 47 years old at least when the fifth blight begins... Soooo I stuck to the game's version ;-). </p><p>Alistair's part especially was inspired by how I felt by reading the end of <em>The Calling</em> novel. It occured to me that Maric and Fiona were spending most of their time together while Alistair was left to Duncan who seemed to appreciate it. As if Duncan was already presented as a (god)father figure instead of Maric.  <b><br/>
</b></p><p>I had a hard time searching for details on how exactly Alistair was brought to Redcliffe. I think I red somewhere that Duncan brought him but I couldn't imagine Maric to send an unknown warden to Redcliff with a letter or something without being present for such an important matter. Like "Hey, this is my mate, Duncan, and my bastard son Alistair. I don't want to raise him at the court. Please take care of him. Thx bro !" And for discretion, Alistair would not be brought directly to Redcliff by someone else than Eamon himself, so this is why the scene take place in a isolated place around Lake Calenhad.</p><p>There was also the question of what Eamon really knew about Alistair's origins. I couldn't imagine Eamon to think that Alistair was actually the son of one of his own servant when it was not the case. But I decided that he wouldn't know who Alistair's real mother was so he couldn't tell him and that he decided to respect Maric's choice when telling Alistair a false story that would at least enable him to think that his mother died instead of telling him she abandonned him.</p><p>Finally Maric's reactions where inspired by the end of the comic strip <em>Until we sleep</em>, that shows that Maric did cared about his son even there is more distance between them than with the rest of the people he loved and shared his life with.Anyway that was <em>my </em>perception of it...</p></blockquote></div></div>
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